With a bullet start, powerful pick-up, brilliant bend and utterly scintillating home straight, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson sprinted deeper into the history books at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 on Friday night (25), sizzling to her second straight world 200m title in 21.41, the second-fastest time in history.
The men’s race saw USA’s Noah Lyles claim his third straight world 200m title which, when added to his 100m crown a few days earlier, confirmed his status as the undisputed current king of the sprinting domain.
In the field events, both finals played out in remarkably similar circumstances, the women’s triple jump and javelin led all the way via a first-round effort before a last-gasp, sixth-round act of heroics by Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas and Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi.
On the track, 29-year-old Jackson left her rivals in what is, in sprinting terms, a different postal code, turning in the most dominant performance of her career, the winning margin of 0.40 bigger than the 0.36 the Jamaican won by in Oregon last year, when she clocked 21.45.
The run solidified her place in second on the world all-time 200m list, behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 21.34, and Jackson’s unimpressed reaction when seeing the time was likely related to the fact she had not eclipsed that mark. USA’s Gabby Thomas came through strongly for second in 21.81, with 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson making it a championship to remember by taking bronze in a PB of 21.92.
"When I crossed the line and saw the time, I was like, 'ah, I'm close,'" said Jackson. "I wrote two times on my bib today and the slow time was 21.40, and I ran 21.41. It's a personal best, so I am grateful. I was super exhausted, I'm not feeling 100%."
Story: Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics
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